Expectations are what kills a person.
Here, Elsa stood outside, waiting for the car to arrive, going over every second of her life that she had spent. She had stupidly hoped that maybe her relationship with Anna could be fixed. It was her fault, but she foolishly thought Anna would understand her. Turns out she didn't.
Maybe Anna was right. If she had stayed, it would've improved over time, right? Right? Or she could've gotten used to it. Maybe what she did was selfish.
Expecting any happiness was her biggest mistake in life.
And that's how all her expectations from Jack went down the drain.
If her sister could leave her, maybe her husband would, too.
So lost in her overwhelming thoughts that she didn't even realize Jack was by her side and flinched at his touch. "It's only me, Snowflake."
"Oh, I'm sorry."
Jack nudged her shoulder and smiled. "What's there to be sorry about?" He stared into her ocean-blue eyes lovingly. "Now, what are we thinking about."
Not wishing to share, Elsa shook her head and changed the topic. "It's snowing. Isn't it beautiful, Jack?"
"It quite is." He peeked at her face admiringly. "You're beautiful."
She scoffed sarcastically. "Yeah, right. Thanks."
Noticing the insincerity behind her words, he smiled hard. "Hey, don't say that! My snowflake is gorgeous."
Abruptly, she threw her arms around him; she could finally breathe. "What took you so long?" Elsa hid her emotions in his chest and wished he was here sooner. "Why didn't you walk out with me?"
Came the guilt now. What was he supposed to tell her, the truth or the lie? "I don't want to ever lie to you...I'm sorry." Jack hesitated. "Your cousins were being an ass, so I beat them up. I'm sorry I couldn't stand and hear the words they said about you. So we got in a fight." He raised his hands in defence and prayed to the Gods she wouldn't be hurt.
"Jack!" Elsa jolted back and delicately held his face, frantically glimpsing at his face and hands for any wounds. "Look at your hands! Jackson Frost Overland!"
Gasping dramatically, Jack put a hand over his chest. "Elsa Overland, surely you can't think your husband is that weak? It's not blood…just swollen a bit." Then he lowered his face to her collarbone. "Since you pulled the full name...Are you mad at me for hitting Smith, but well, mostly Anthony?"
So that's who he hit, now Elsa understood. "Jack," She sighed, "I was scared for you. What if you had gotten hurt? It hasn't been a week, and my husband is already hurt." This was quite funny, in a way.
These words calmed his racing heart down. "So you aren't mad." He was thankful.
"Oh no, mister, I'm definitely mad!" She scolded him, and thrown out was his calmed self.
Jack wailed in return. "Well, I'm sorry, but I'm not sorry for hitting him and standing up for you. Even though I don't remember saying I dos and the vows but….I do know that I'll protect you with my life...I forever will."
It was surprising how he had such a way with his words, "Only you could love me, Jackson Overland. Do I even deserve this?"
"You deserve the whole world! And...I beg to differ." Jack kissed her nose tip. "That stubborn Hofferson loves you." And kissed her cheeks. "The entire Berk loves you" Finally, he placed a sweet kiss on her lips. "And I love you."
She laughed; eventually, she did, and the wind blew her hair in the opposite direction, making her look even more beautiful in Jack's eyes. "Happiness suits you, Your Majesty."
Time stood still, and so did they. Everything stopped and vanished into the air around them. They were alone, staring into each other's eyes. A worshipping gaze that travelled to their hearts.
It was only Jack and Elsa.
Then, a bright glow blinded Jack, and he saw something out of this world.
They were lying on the grass in each other's arms.
Jack played with Elsa's blonde curls and grinned like an adorable, utterly in-love man. "I can't wait to see your grey hair."
"That's a bizarre thing to say, my love." Elsa rolled her eyes at her lover.
He shrugged mischievously and stared into the sky. "I only imply I can't wait to grow old with you, my lady."
Well, that made more sense now. "That's how you should've worded it." She chuckled. "Well, I, too, want to see these gorgeous brown locks turning grey." She brushed his hair. "I wonder if you'll regardless look handsome." And then ran her fingers down his face, tracing every feature of his face.
"Of course I will!" Jack blushed and caressed Elsa's cheek with the back of his hand. "And you will be the most beautiful lady ever to exist."
She snorted and flicked his nose. "What an inappropriate phrase to utter."
He winked and kissed her hand. "Only for My Queen."
"Only for me, My brave ferocious knight." She kissed his cheek and touched a red ribbon that hung on the head of his sword attached to his belt.
She made that and gave it to him for good luck.
Eyes widened, Jack shrieked when he looked at the sky. "Heavens! We must make haste. Your father will banish me. I pledged him I'll bring you back before sunset."
Grasping his hand, Elsa stood up, chuckling. "You have massacred the enemies and won multiple wars. But years later, you still remain afraid of my father?"
"He's the King, His Highness." Smiled, the knight.
The princess laughed as they ran to his royal white horse hand in hand to hurry to the palace.
The laughter full of happiness filled the forest.
Jack was covered in sweat, panting loudly. What the hell was that? It was so real, and why did they both appear so different? With distinct hair and eye colours. There were so many questions running through his mind. It didn't feel like an imagination or a daydream. It felt real. He wanted to fly back to Berk and ask Gothi, the woman of all wisdom, what this meant.
Currently, he was still in that blurry scenery from far above. All he saw was himself and Elsa on the horse, throwing their heads back. He couldn't hear this version of themselves, but he caught a glimpse of all the love between them. It was apparent.
He was overly lost to hear the screams around him.
"Jack! Jackson! Babe, answer me. Please be alright," Elsa shook his shoulder while sobbing.
Sebastian, who had just arrived, was on a call with the Overland's doctor, answering all the questions. "No, his eyes are open, but he isn't replying or moving. No, he doesn't. Yes, that's right. As I said, he was fine just a few minutes ago. Right, Mrs. Overland?"
Elsa nodded and moved Jack's head on her lap. "Yes, he was fine, and we were talking. He zoned out for a few seconds and suddenly fell backwards. Luckily, I held him up and slowed down the fall. Jack's head didn't touch the ground." Because Elsa was smart enough to shield the back of his head with her hand, which was bleeding, but she didn't care.
"You heard her right, Dr. Grey? That's exactly what happened."
Before Dr. Grey could answer back, Elsa ordered Sebastian, using her authority as the woman of the house for the first time, "Sebastian, we are going to the clinic immediately. Assist me in putting Jack in the car."
Sebastian nodded and was about to put his arm around Jack's shoulder when he jerked, returning to present. "Loki, what are you doing?"
And Jack had forgotten all he had just seen for now.
"Oh, thank God you're alright."
Jack was flabbergasted; why did Elsa and Sebastian look so worried? "Of course I am." Jack scooched towards Elsa, who was still frigid. "Why do you look shocked, Snowflake? And why am I on the ground?"
Unbelievably, Elsa was glad he was fine and back to normal, but nonetheless, they were going to the clinic. "Get in the car, I'll tell you."
"As you say, Your Majesty." Jack chuckled; they sat in the backseat of their car, and it started moving.
Shivers went down Jack's spine when suddenly he remembered what he saw a minute ago and internally gasped.
For sure, he knew it was not an imagination; anything but that.
It was too real to be just an imagination.
It was them.
It was another Jack that held Elsa, but he felt it.
Because It was a memory.
Soon, they reached the hospital, but an awkward silence filled the air on the way there. Jack was rushed to all the recommended tests immediately, and he was pretty grumpy about it.
"I hate hospitals." Jack shut his eyes and leaned his head against the wall. They had been here for three hours, and he was tired because of the tests they had him do.
The white walls and the tedious hospital smell surrounded the couple, and even Elsa hated it now. "I hate hospitals too. Especially even more now. Seeing you in this gown is hurting me so much, Jack."
He understood the feeling well enough as he went through this his whole life because of his mom. "I'm sorry we are here because of me."
"I just hope you're alright." She shook her head and caressed his cheek.
Nudging her shoulder, he smiled. "Hey, what could go wrong? I'm the Jackson Frost Overland."
Not taking the jokes, Elsa sighed. "Please be serious."
Jack tried his best to avoid her now bandaged hand, but he couldn't anymore. "I'm sorry for your hand. It must hurt a lot."
She shrugged her shoulders and smiled, full of pain. "I've been so hurt my entire life that this tiny wound doesn't even bother me anymore." She looked around the small but lavish clinic. "It's funny how I'm sitting in such a clinic right now."
Those words pierced his heart, and he stayed quiet for a few seconds. "If you find this uncomfortable, we can go to another clinic. Dr. Grey is our family doctor, so I-"
"Jack," The waiting room filled with her laughter, "You get stressed over every little thing, babe. I meant that I'd never been to such an expensive-looking hospital before. I would treat my injuries at home by myself, or if it were worse, I'd go to the shabby clinic near our house."
If he had met her sooner, Jack would've protected her with his life. "Your family didn't even take you to a fucking hospital?"
She sighed. "Why would they when they were the reason for my wounds? Anyways, are you feeling better?"
Quickly but softly, he grabbed her bandaged hand. "I promised I'd never let you get hurt, and I broke it. I'm sorry you got this because of me. I'll get you the best treatment for this. It doesn't hurt, right?"
This care wasn't new to her, but it was rare. "It doesn't hurt." She grinned teary-eyed. "I'm fine."
Dr Grey walked to the waiting room and led them into her office. "So, how are you feeling, Jackson?"
"Oh, I'm perfectly fine, but please recheck my wife's hand." Jack was going crazy, worried sick.
The doctor nodded and checked Elsa's hand the sixth time as per Jack's request or more like an order. "It's just a scratch, and within a few days, it should return to normal."
Before Jack could argue and say something out of the world, Elsa asked worriedly, "What do his reports say? Is it something serious?"
Dr. Grey popped up his MRI scans and all the others she had forced him to take on the computer. "As you see here." She ran the cursor over the opened files. "Everything seems normal, and we've got nothing to worry about. Jackson's medical reports have remained unchanged, and he's very healthy." She turned to Jack and asked him, "Now, I want you to explain the whole situation to me. From the beginning to whatever you remember last so I can properly diagnose and ensure you leave my clinic perfectly fine."
Like a lost person, Jack looked at Elsa as if he were asking for her permission to go on. "Tell her what happened. Dr. Grey already knows my side of the story."
The experienced doctor found it quite amusing and controlled her laughter. This situation reminded her of when adults in their 20s show up with their mothers, and the mother has to do all the talking and even book an appointment for them.
Jack gulped nervously and answered, removing the memory he saw, "Well, I got into a verbal and physical fight with this assho... pardon...person. After that, I walked to where Elsa was waiting, and suddenly, my heartbeat felt irregular, and the last thing I remember was waking in Elsa's arms. It was pretty heroic." And, of course, Jack could never stay serious, even in the hospital gown.
"Irregular heartbeat and fainting." Dr. Grey was writing down on her notepad and scratching out some disorders she had thought of. "How about panic attacks? And you've had them before, right, Jackson?" It was a hunch, and she wanted to clear that out.
"My anxiety is under control, and I quit the meds years ago, as you know. It was definitely not a panic attack." He replied honestly.
Dr. Grey noted it down and gave her final thoughts: "It's nothing to worry about. To me, it sounds like a sudden change in blood pressure. It makes sense since he was in a heroic situation. The results show it's nothing to worry about, and considering all the factors, I'll say...It was a brief episode of unconsciousness due to a stressful situation."
Elsa let out a breath she was holding and relaxed. "So, nothing to worry about?"
Dr. Grey assured with a comforting smile, "I assure you it's nothing. But please make sure Jackson comes for his every six months checkups. He's quite forgetful."
"Thank you, Dr. Grey." Elsa glared at Jack and nodded, "And trust me, I'll make sure he shows up for his appointments."
"Now, can you make Elsa do those tests you made me do?" Jack pleaded in a solemn tone.
Elsa smacked her head. "For God's sake, Jackson."
Dr. Grey was awkwardly stuck in a very heated argument between the married couple.
And here comes the reincarnation part of the story. It's a HUGE part of the story. I'm so excited to see what you guys think of this.
Also, please excuse the overuse of pardon, sorry and thank you. I'm a Canadian, so I can't not use them.